In the example provided, which factor is used to convert knots to miles per hour before calculating miles per minute?

• A. A factor of 1.15
• B. A factor of 0.909
• C. A factor of 2.0
• D. A factor of 1.0

Answer: (A)

Converting knots to miles per hour uses the nautical-to-statute mile relationship. One knot is defined as one nautical mile per hour, and one nautical mile is about 1.15078 statute miles. So to turn knots into miles per hour you multiply by roughly 1.15. Once you have miles per hour, you can find miles per minute by dividing by 60.

The other numbers don’t match the standard conversion between nautical miles and statute miles, or they wouldn’t produce miles per minute correctly (for example, using a factor of 2.0 would overstate the speed, and a factor of 1.0 would leave it unchanged).